“I can’t eat healthy, it costs too much!” you may say. With proper research though, it is easy to find out which are the best healthy eating options at the best price.
The following is a guide to finding a happy balance between health and finances because there is one thing you should never compromise on, and that is your health. No matter how much money you save eating unhealthily, a life with poor health is not a life well lived.
1. Junkfood Exchange
Keep a diary of what you regularly eat and highlight all the food you grab when on the run. It may be burgers and fries, it may be pizza, whatever it is, make a note of it and see where you can exchange it for healthy alternatives.
If you crave a burger, your body is telling you it needs carbohydrates and protein. If you wake up a few minutes earlier in the day and prepare healthy wholewheat rolls stuffed with pastrami or corned beef and lettuce with low-fat mayonnaise and whole grain mustard, lunch will then be replaced with a healthy, delicious alternative that won’t cost much.
If it’s pizza your body needs, make grilled cheese sandwiches with whole wheat bread, tomatoes and low-fat cheese in the morning. Wrap it in tin foil and keep it in the lunch bag you take to work. It’s a healthier alternative and costs a tenth of the price of a whole pizza.
2. Supplements
Maybe you have never taken supplements before because you think you don’t need it. Supplements are great because they fill in the gaps where the nutrition you are consuming isn’t good enough. Everyone can benefit from taking supplements.
People who especially benefit from supplements are:*
- Pregnant and lactating women
- Vegans and people on vegetarian diets
- Anyone on a low-calorie diet (intentional and unintentional)
- People who suffer from food allergies or intolerances
- Picky eaters who limit food groups, or have a limited variety of food groups
- Anyone with a poor diet
- People taking certain medications
*One should always consult with their doctor before taking supplements
Often, one will not take supplements because they assume it is too expensive. The best solution to this is to buy from a manufacturer that offers bulk buying to help you save in the long run. There are a ton of different brands offering the same thing or with different concentrations of the product, so you should look for a manufacturer that stands out. There is a wide choice available on the market. You can start with a multivitamin or even buy supplements for specific conditions almost tailor-made for you. Read more about this in this Research Verified review.
3. Tasty Salads
Often you leave out eating salads because you think they are full of expensive ingredients and are tasteless. Maybe you have made salads in the past without great dressings that you just didn’t enjoy. It is often the dressing that brings out the flavor in all the ingredients.
Examples of Affordable Delicious Salads:
Nicoise Salad
Ingredients:
- 12 (650g) small chat potatoes, halved
- 400g baby green beans, trimmed
- 425g can tuna in oil, drained and flaked
- 250g grape tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 cup black olives
- 2 baby cos lettuce hearts, leaves separated, washed
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, quartered
- 1 quantity nicoise dressing
Dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Method:
Boil the small potatoes, and cut up the rest of the ingredients and place in a bowl. For the dressing, whisk the oil, vinegar, and mustard in a jug. Season with salt and pepper. For the entire method go to taste.com
Greek Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 egg tomatoes, halved, each half cut into 4 wedges
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways, thinly sliced
- 1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced
- 1 green capsicum, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced
- 1 red onion, quartered, each quarter cut into thin wedges
- 250g kalamata olives
- 300g Greek feta, cubed
Red Wine Vinegar Dressing:
- 60ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, capsicums, olives, onion, and feta in a large bowl. Place the oil, vinegar, and oregano, for the dressing, in a small bowl, and combine by stirring. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad and gently toss until combined.
These recipes are healthy and delicious, inexpensive and the salads can stay fresh for up to 3 days in the fridge. Just make sure to cover the bowl with cling wrap.
4. Exercise
A lot of people make excuses not to exercise because of the hefty prices of gym memberships. Gym memberships are great, but they are not the only way to get some exercise. Briskly walking for half an hour a day can do you the world of good. If you love swimming, make it a goal to swim at least ten laps a day at a public pool. If dancing is your thing, go out dancing. YouTube gives amazing free access to great workouts from yoga to ballet, strength training and more. All you need for this is a yoga mat or you can rely on your carpet.
At the end of the day, remember that your health always comes first. As quoted by Buddha: “To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” That’s very true and no amount of money can buy that!